Lumiose City Detectives Book 1: Violet Flame
by AnUnusualVisitor
Summary: Ebony, an ex-trainer, is working as an assistant librarian when she meets the enigmatic Thomas. Soon enough, she finds herself in a world of intrigue and danger that she never anticipated. Can she rise to the challenge?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I'd be lying if I said that I knew he was special when I first met him.

There wasn't a chill that went down my spine, or a shock that I felt when I saw him. He was just another visitor to the Aquacorde Town Library.

Of course, I hadn't seen him before then; most people who came to the library were regulars. The old man who lived several blocks away, the kids who came for children hour, the occasional teen visitor. My first thought upon seeing him was that he was a tourist.

Then again, he didn't really look like a tourist. He wore a long brown coat and a newsboy cap. His hair beneath the cap was a deep blue, and it jutted out behind his head. His eyes were red. If anything, he looked like he came down from Lumiose City; his fashion seemed to suggest as much.

He was staring at the bookshelf, lost in thought. As an assistant librarian (and because I needed something to do), I took this as a sign that he could use help and walked over to him. "Hi. Can I help you?"

He looked at me, and for the briefest moment, an expression of shock appeared on his face. But it faded just as quickly, and he shook his head. "No thanks."

I was baffled. "Is- is there something wrong?"

"No. Sorry, I mistook you for someone else." And with that, he pulled out a book from the shelf and went to the couch to read it.

I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I went back to the front desk to continue reading my own book. We didn't speak again until he left.

He was practically a resident during the next few days. He would arrive at nine and stay until three, engrossed in some book or another. Those days were very slow, and as a result I found myself becoming more and more curious as to whom he was. However, everything he did seemed standoffish, so I hesitated to ask him directly. Instead, I just snuck glances at him from my desk and over my shoulder when I was reshelving books.

It was on the third day when I had just put away some books that _coincidentally_ happened to be right next to him that I decided to take a glance at the large book he was reading.

It was about geography in the Kalos region. He was on a page discussing the area around Lumiose City-

The book closed with a loud snap. I leapt about a foot or two in the air.

"You can stop spying on me now," he said.

"S-sorry," I muttered. I started walking back to the desk. _Good job sneaking around. You've done it now,_ I thought.

"Why?"

I turned around. "Huh?"

The book was still closed, and he was looking at me. "_Why_ were you spying on me?"

It took me so off-guard, I struggled to find words. "I, uh…"

He waited, tapping his fingers on the book.

My tongue loosened. "I guess it was because I haven't seen you around here before. Most of the people who come here are regulars."

"Right." He opened the book and continued to read it.

I stood there for a few seconds, feeling awkward, and was about to walk back to the desk when he spoke again. "If I tell you more about myself, will you stop staring at me so much?"

I felt my face flush. "I, um..."

He put the book down. "I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through on my way to Lumiose. I'll be leaving again soon. I'm from someplace far away. Does that about cover it?"

"I… sure." I was silent for a moment. "Do… you want me to tell you about myself? So we'll be even?"

His attention had already returned to the book. "You don't have to," he said.

"It's no problem," I replied.

"No, you really don't have to. I can already tell that you're a Trainer working as an assistant librarian."

The statement hit me like a sucker punch. "I- what? How- how did you-"

His eyes didn't leave the book as he spoke. "The signs are everywhere. Your hands and forearms are covered in scars and burn marks. That could point to a Trainer or Ranger, or a chef. When I closed the book earlier-" My eyebrows shot up. "-Your first reaction was to reach for your belt-or rather, where your belt _would_ be. That narrows it down to a Ranger or Trainer. Since Trainers are more common than Rangers, that was my guess." He paused. "Did I get it right?"

I was impressed. "Yeah," I replied, then hesitated. "Well, not quite. It's ex-Trainer now." The words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

His eyes flashed up briefly. "Ah."

There was a long silence.

Finally, I smiled weakly at him. "Well, thanks for indulging me. I'll stop bothering you now."

He gave the smallest of nods.

I went back to the front desk.

He wasn't really wrong. Up until late last year, I _was_ a Trainer. But then, one thing led to another, and now I was working at a library in Aquacorde Town. That was the easiest way to think of it, anyway.

"I never caught your name."

I started and looked up.

He was standing by the front desk, obviously about to leave.

_That's right, I forgot to wear my nametag_. I cleared my throat. "Ebony. Ebony Fortmirth."

He blinked. "Ebony? That's an interesting name."

I shrugged. "And… what's yours?"

"Thomas."

I waited.

"Just Thomas."

"You… don't have a last name?"

"No. Don't need one." He left.

The silence that followed was a puzzled one.

* * *

I didn't see him after that until afternoon on the fourth day that he was there. This time, however, it wasn't in the library.

I had just gotten back from my shift at the library when my cousin, who I was staying with in Aquacorde, gave me a package to deliver to the Potions shop in the square. I had tried to get out of it, much to her confusion, but in the end I accepted the errand.

The square was fairly busy; today was Market Day, which meant that stalls were set up around the square. Still, it didn't take me too long to find the shop. Once I arrived, I spent about ten minutes standing outside it, just trying to steel my nerves. _Look, it isn't even technically a Poké Mart. It just sells potions. There's no reason to be afraid. Why are you so afraid?_ I inhaled deeply, but my nerves didn't steady. I decided that it wasn't likely that I would stop being nervous, so I briskly walked inside.

The Potions store wasn't very crowded. There were only two other customers besides me, perusing the shelves. _What a small place_, I thought to myself.

The clerk of the store smiled and waved at me. "Hello! Welcome! What can I do for you?"

I smiled back, walked up and put the package on the counter. "I just came to drop off this."

He lifted the package up and studied it. "Ah! This is from Lily. Thanks! Hey, are you that cousin that I've heard about?"

_Uh oh._ I plastered a smile on my face. "Yes, hi."

"Cool! I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you a Trainer?"

I was struggling to find the words to answer him when the doors burst open and a man walked in. He shouldered past me and slammed a hand down on the counter. "Hey. The Full Restores you sold me don't work. I want a refund."

The clerk squinted at him, confused. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I've actually served you, at least not today. When did-"

"It wasn't _you_, it was the lady. Now I want my refund."

The clerk blinked, then nodded. "You mean Tiffany. She's out right now. You say the Full Restores didn't work? May I see them?"

The man pulled a packet of six Full Restores out of his jacket and shoved it into the clerk's hands. "See for yourself."

The clerk turned away from the man. I heard him testing each of the bottles. He turned back around. "It looks like you're right." He placed the Full Restores on the counter, a puzzled look on his face. "I'd be glad to give you a refund, sir, but first I need to see your receipt."

The man's eyes hardened. "I left it at home."

The clerk splayed his hands. "Well, I'm sorry, sir, but unless you give me a receipt, I can't give you a refund."

The man grumbled, picked up the packet, and stormed out of the shop.

The clerk turned to me. "I'm sorry about that interruption. We're not usually so busy. What were you saying?"

"I, um-"

The doors swung open again, and this time it was Thomas who walked in. He snatched an item off the shelf and quickly strode up to the counter.

The clerk gave a bewildered smile. "Hello, sir! How can I help-"

Thomas cut him off. "I'd like these Full Restores. Right now, please."

"Um, sure. I should warn you, though, we've had a customer complain that-"

"Just let me buy them. Time is of the essence."

The clerk shot me an uneasy glance and rang up his purchase. "If you're sure, sir. That'll be 18,000."

My eyebrows went up. 18,000 wasn't a small price.

Thomas swiped his ID through the card reader.

"Here's your receipt."

"Thanks." Thomas took them and walked out.

The clerk whistled and shook his head. "All these interruptions! I don't usually get so many customers so quickly."

I was deep in thought. _There's something kind of weird about this. I have no idea what, though_.

"-You say hi to Lily for me?"

I started. "Huh?"

"You're going back, right? Could you say hi to Lily for me?"

I smiled. "Sure!"

I left the Potions Shop.

This experience had been eventful, but in a way I hadn't expected.

* * *

Imagine my surprise when Lily and I ended up in the square again about an hour later. Apparently, she had forgotten to include a message with the package, so she decided to deliver it personally. Even though I was pretty tired, I didn't really want to stay at the house by myself, so I went with her.

The square was even more crowded when we got there. It took a little while to get through all the people. I looked around to see if I could spot Thomas, just out of curiosity, but I didn't see him. _Why did he buy those Full Restores, anyway? For some reason, he doesn't seem like a Trainer._ Oh, well. I wasn't as good at figuring things out about people as he seemed to be.

When we got inside the shop, it was a woman at the counter. She put down the book she was reading and waved at us. "Hey, Lily! Rob said you brought us a package earlier. How are you?"

Lily smiled back. "Hello! I just forgot to tell you that the dried Cheri Berries might upset your Bunnelby's throat, so you should be careful when feeding them to him."

The female clerk- Tiffany, I guessed- nodded. "Thanks! I'll be sure to relay the-"

The doors burst open, yet again, and the man from earlier came up to the counter. "Hey. I'm here to return these Full Restores." The man slapped them on the counter. "They don't work."

Tiffany looked at it. "Are you sure they don't?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let me just test them." Tiffany turned around.

Lily turned to me. "Well, shall we go back to the house?"

"No," I replied, keeping a wary eye on the man. "You go ahead. I'll stay here."

Lily looked at me in surprise, then shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll see you back at the house." She left.

Tiffany turned back around, having tested the Full Restore. "That's weird. Well, I'd be happy to give you a refund if you could just show me the receipt."

This time, the man pulled the receipt out of his coat. He put it on the counter.

Tiffany picked it up. "Great! Well-"

Suddenly, Thomas melted out of the shadows and came up to the counter. "Don't do it. It's a scam."

The man glared at him. "What're you talking about?"

"That Full Restore is a knockoff, if a convincing one. Look. You can see the lines in the plastic. It's not the same quality."

The female clerk hesitantly picked up the Full Restore and examined it. "I see," she said. She sounded a little embarrassed, possibly at not knowing.

The man's eyes narrowed. His body seemed to tense.

"I'm also willing to bet that it's full of a cheap water solution. And that the receipt isn't even yours."

"What the hell? Why don't you mind your own damn business?" The man was getting angrier.

Thomas ignored him. He turned to the female clerk. "Excuse me, but what's the name on the receipt?"

Tiffany looked down at the receipt. "It just says Thomas," she replied.

Thomas pulled out his ID. "Thomas. At your service."

The female clerk looked between the ID and the receipt. "The ID numbers match," she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge.

The man bolted out the door, knocking off a few items from the shelf.

The female clerk sighed and shook her head. "Wow. I hadn't expected someone to try and scam us. Full Restores aren't exactly our cheapest item, but still…" She looked at Thomas. "How did you know about this? Besides seeing the lines in the plastic and such."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "I saw him topping them off at the fountain in the square before he went into your shop. I guessed he was trying to make a return. He didn't seem to be successful the first time, so I guessed that he would try again later, when it was a different clerk up front."

Tiffany nodded, clearly impressed. "And the receipt?"

"I 'lost' it. Lucky him."

Tiffany grinned. "Well, thank you so much for your help! If there's anything we can do for you-"

"Actually, there is."

"Oh, really?"

Thomas pulled the Full Restore packet from out of his coat. "Could I please make a return? I really have no use for all of these."

Tiffany laughed and started making the return.

I had been silent this whole time- a quiet observer. I realized just how awkward it was when Thomas turned to look at me. I cleared my throat. "That was… pretty amazing."

He turned away. "Thanks."

_If he's trying to be less mysterious, he's failing_, I thought. I didn't say anything else, though.

Tiffany finished the return. "Have a great day! You're our hero!"

He nodded and left.

As soon as he was gone, however, I became aware that something was off. _Wait. Did he really just "guess" that the guy was making a return? How did he know the guy needed a receipt?_ I shrugged it off. He'd known somehow.

Once I left the shop, I realized that all the events of today had startled away the fear I'd had earlier. I laughed.

* * *

I saw him one last time the next day in the library, where he popped in briefly near the end of my shift. He went searching through the shelves at a lightning pace, finally stopped at what he was looking for, and then pulled it out. He strode up to the counter and placed the book in front of me. "I'd like to check this out."

I blinked, startled at his quickness. "Um, sure." I scanned the book for him.

He picked it up. "Thank you." He paused. "It was nice meeting you." He left.

I stood there, stunned. _This man just __**excels**__ at confusing me._ My shift ended in a few minutes. I briefly considered following him, then realized that it would be kind of crazy. _His business is his business. I shouldn't really try to interfere._ Still, there was an odd twinge in my stomach. I felt like I was missing something by not going. I shook away the feeling and started reading my book again.

After my shift, I went back to the house, where Lily was undoubtedly working. We lived in a nice cottage with a Berry Farm a short distance from town. Lily worked as a Berry Farmer, and would sell her Berries to the supermarket every Friday. She also sometimes gave them as gifts to her friends and members of the community. I had thought, when my Mom and Dad sent me here, that I would be helping Lily with her work, but she said she didn't need the help. So I ended up becoming an assistant librarian instead.

I had been here for about a month already. It was startling to me how long it had been.

Lily saw me as I came up the path to the house. "Hi. How did things go today?" She was working on the Oran Berry plants. Her clothing was dirty from the work.

"It was fine." I paused. "Hey, um…"

"Huh?" She stood up and looked at me.

"Have you ever seen a young man with blue hair and red eyes? Looks just a few years older than me?"

Lily looked surprised. "Well, that's an interesting question." Her brow furrowed. Then she snapped her fingers. "You mean that guy with the coat and the hat! Yeah, I've seen him here and there. Why do you ask?"

I shook my head. I didn't know _exactly_ why I was asking. "I don't know. He's spent a lot of time at the library lately. I was just curious."

Lily's face spread into a grin. "Ebony Fortmirth, are you _finally_ meeting someone? Good for you!"

I gave her a look. "It's not like _that_. He's just… odd. That's why I asked. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's leaving soon."

Lily scooped up some fertilizer and started patting it around the Oran Trees' bases. "Well, even if it's not 'like that,' I'm glad you're actually talking to someone. You've already spent a month here, and you haven't exactly talked to anyone else."

I grimaced. "Yeah. I know."

Lily wiped her hands on her clothes. "So… why haven't you?" She looked up at me with sad eyes.

This conversation was getting uncomfortable. I threw up my hands. "I don't know. It's a small town, there's not exactly many people I have something in common with."

"Well, you _could_ talk about-" Lily started to say, but then quickly shut her mouth.

A silence followed.

"I don't really want to talk to anyone about battling, Lily," I wearily replied.

"I know." Lily went to the water pump and started washing off her hands. "Go on inside. I'll make dinner."

I complied.

After about a half hour, we had dinner. It was quiet and awkward; I was still feeling gloomy after our earlier conversation. I could tell Lily was trying to cheer me up, but I couldn't seem to. I finished my dinner and started to go to my room.

"Ebony?"

I turned around. "Yeah?"

"About what I said earlier…"

I sighed. "What about it?"

"It's okay that you're still recovering. I can understand. I just hope that you don't completely isolate yourself in the process." She smiled. "People can help."

It took me a moment to respond. "I understand." I smiled. "Good night, Lily."

"Good night, Ebony."

I went into my room and closed the door.

Everything that she said made perfect sense.

I knew that.

And I couldn't stand it.

I sighed and took off my shoes.

The last few hours of my day were spent entertaining myself on the Internet. Once I was confident that I had sufficiently purged most of the unpleasant thoughts from my mind, I went to bed. Still, there were remnants of the thoughts that swirled around in my mind before I went to sleep.

* * *

Bright lights. Cheering. The smell of smoke. Purple fire. The blue thing hurtling toward me. I couldn't move. I couldn't move. _I couldn't_-

I woke up, a soundless scream dying in my throat. I coughed. My throat was dry. I cleared it. _I should've known it would happen again tonight, what with the conversation I had with Lily._ I got out of bed and went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

The sound of the water filling the glass was oddly loud in the dark house. _That's one thing I still can't get used to_, I thought as I gulped down the glass of water. Everything was so _quiet_ in the country. After living in the city for most of my life, I'd gotten used to the background noises; Pokémon crying out at strangers, cars, people walking outside. I'd gotten so used to it that I didn't notice it until it was gone. It was kind of soothing and unsettling at the same time. It was weird.

I set the now empty glass down on the counter and looked out the window.

And that's when I saw the fire.

A jet of fire was spewing into the sky from behind the next hill.

Purple fire.

_Like in my dreams_.

I staggered backward in shock. I took deep breaths to calm myself. _Is someone training their Pokémon in the middle of the night? That must be what it is,_ I thought.

Still, there was something weird about it. The jet of fire was swerving back and forth, as if the source of it was moving. It wasn't continuous, either; it stopped and started in varying spurts.

I felt a deep sense of foreboding. _If it's practice, why aren't they aiming at a target? And why is it continuing?_ If anything, it seemed more like a signal. _A distress signal?_

I sighed and pondered whether or not I should go. _If it is a distress signal, I should probably see what it is._ _But I might not be able to do much, since I don't have any Pokémon. _Still, it would be betterto at least be a witness to whatever was happening instead of someone who did nothing. Fighting back the fear that erupted in me, I went back to my room. I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, a jacket, and my shoes and socks. I grabbed my bag and, after a moment of thought, also took the pocketknife lying on my desk. After that, I made my way to the back door, quietly opened and closed it, locked it, and set out for the source of the fire.

It didn't take me too long to find it.

Right behind the hill, where the river curved south, was a dark shape splashing and struggling in the river. It looked bigger than me- not quite the size of a car, but close.

I approached it slowly, with my hands out of my pockets.

It stopped struggling and lay very, very still.

It was hard for me to determine the shape of the Pokémon in the darkness- I belatedly realized that I'd forgotten to bring a flashlight- so I couldn't really tell what it was. I knelt down next to it. "Hi. Don't worry; I'm here to help. Just hold still."

It didn't respond. I hadn't really expected it to. I looked more closely at it. Even when I was close to it, it was impossible for me to tell what it was; something about its wet form made it hard to look at. I rubbed my eyes and stopped focusing on its form. I saw wires crisscrossing over its body. An entire net was trapping the Pokémon in the shallow river.

I touched the wires. I recognized the material and design. _This is a high quality dragon-catching net._ The design seemed slightly modified, though. I shook my head. "Wow. You must have made some tough enemies. Either that, or someone really wanted to catch you." I paused. "But then, why just leave you out here?"

The Pokémon let out an impatient grunt.

"I know, I'm sorry. Let's see…" I traced the wires with my fingers. "There's supposed to be a way to disable the net, a button you push to retract the wires." I was talking to myself more than I was talking to it. After a while, I found the button, and I pressed it.

The net released and retracted swiftly. The Pokémon shifted with a groan.

"There you go-"

Suddenly, the Pokémon lunged toward me. I flinched back, only to feel its wet face bump my forehead. Then an incredible gust of wind blasted me to the ground.

When I opened my eyes, the Pokémon was nowhere to be seen. I looked up at the sky, hoping to see if it flew away, but I couldn't spot it.

I sat on the muddy ground and laughed. _Holy crap. That just happened. Okay._ Slowly, I stood up. My clothes were a mess. _Sheesh. I don't think I have to worry about insomnia now, with __**that**__ excitement. _I turned and walked back to the house.

Once I had changed out of my messy clothes and gotten into bed, however, I realized it was hard for me to sleep. _What __**was**__ that Pokémon? Who would modify a dragon net like that? What happened there?_ Eventually, though, my eyelids closed, and I slept.

It wasn't until much later that I really understood what happened that night.

* * *

The next two weeks were pretty boring in comparison. I enjoyed my books, and I enjoyed Lily's company, but every day was pretty much the same.

That is, until my parents' fateful phone call on the last night of that second week. They thought that I wasn't really being active enough, and that I was too likely to become depressed again. And, as they had done many times before, they made a decision for me.

I was to move to Lumiose City.

And it was there that my adventure would truly begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The phone rang.

Stew, the concierge, picked it up. He looked at me as if to ask, _Are you ready?_

I nodded, notebook and pencil in hand.

He put the phone to his ear. "Room service. How can I help you?" He nodded as he listened to the customer. "All right, madam, just to double check, you'd like a Calm Rawst Berry Souffle, Vine Whip style? And also a Brave Cheri Berry Hot Soup, Overheat Style?"

I wrote it down quickly.

"Thank you, madam, we'll have that up to you right away." He hung up and turned to me. "You get that?"

"A Calm Rawst Vine Whip Souffle and a Brave Cheri Overheat Soup," I replied as clearly as I could, trying not to trip over the words. _This hotel has a really weird food-naming scheme._

Stew nodded. "Good!" He rung up the cook and relayed the message.

I'm pretty sure that order was correct. _I hope_.

* * *

Esse closed the door to the room behind her. "All right! Looks like our guests lost two Brycen action figures, so let's see if we can find them. And remember to watch where you step!"

"Right." I started looking around the room. I checked under the beds and around the window with no luck. _This kind of makes me feel like a detective_, I thought, and then remembered Thomas. It was weird that I should remember him, considering that I didn't get to know him that well. He was just so weird and _mysterious_-

"Whoa! Hold on, Ebony!"

"Huh?" I looked down.

My foot was positioned right over one of the Brycen figures.

I felt sheepish. "Oh. Wow."

Esse laughed and patted my shoulder. "Don't worry! It's only your first week on the job." She scooped it up. "Now, all we have to do is find the second one!"

An idea popped into my head. "Has the closet been checked yet?"

"No, not yet." Esse looked into the closet. "And there it is! What made you think of it?"

I shrugged. "Just a guess."

"Well, that's some pretty good work! I'll let the management know you did a good job."

Esse was nice.

* * *

"Now, I'm not sure how lax the others have been with you considering this is your first week." Ward walked quickly down the hall. I struggled to keep up with him. "However, you can expect me not to be so lax. This is a fine hotel, and it must be kept that way."

"Yes, sir," I said, nearly tripping over a hotel cart.

He glanced back at me. "Do your work quickly and well, and it shouldn't be a problem. Just don't expect me to accept any laziness." He stopped, and I stopped as well. "Now, I want these four rooms fully cleaned in two hours, no more. I'll be back then to evaluate your work." He walked off, leaving me alone with a hotel cart and four rooms to clean.

I peeked inside.

They were pretty messy. I wasn't sure I could clean them _completely_.

I sighed and got to work.

About two hours later, I finished the last room and went outside to a stern looking Ward. I politely clasped my hands behind my back and awaited his verdict.

He looked at his watch. "About two hours and ten minutes. Let's look at your work."

He examined the four rooms in silence. Finally, he said, "It took you longer than it should have, but other than that, not a terrible job."

I smiled in relief.

* * *

A few minutes later, after changing out of my uniform, I waited at the front desk for my paycheck.

The co-receptionist smiled. "Hi. Done with your work for today?"

"Yes."

"All right, then, one moment." She pulled out a slip of paper. "Here's your check."

I took it and looked at it. 8,500 Pokédollars, not bad for a day's- wait a minute. "Excuse me, I was only paid partially for one of the jobs. Why is that?"

She looked up. "Oh, apparently you were too vague on one of the orders. The customer received the wrong soup."

I frowned. "Um, okay. Goodbye!" I pocketed the check, then turned around and started walking away.

_The wrong soup-?_ I pulled out my notebook. The only soup order had been the Brave Cheri Berry Hot Soup, Overheat style. I vaguely remembered not specifying whether it was Hot or Chilled. I stopped walking. _They got it wrong when I didn't specify the heat of the soup… when it has Overheat style in the title? Seriously?_ I shook my head; I didn't exactly have a big reason to complain, I only worked here twice a week. I walked out the hotel doors.

Lumiose City was pretty much the exact opposite of the country. Bright lights, lots of people bustling around, cars… it was easy to feel overwhelmed here after staying in Aquacorde Town for a month. I had lived in a city for most of my life, but it still wasn't a city like _this_. Every time I walked through the city, I felt like I was narrowly avoiding bumping into everything. I knew people who actually liked it when places were busy and bustling, but I was never one of those people. It exhausted me.

My apartment wasn't very far from the Hotel, which was a blessing. It was small, but nice. I entered the building.

Ivan, the concierge, looked up from the magazine he was reading. "Oh, hi, Ebony. Work go okay?"

"It went fine, yes." Ivan was a friend of my parents. I'm pretty sure they asked him to check up on me every time I came in.

"Good. Let me know if you need anything." He went back to reading the magazine.

I inwardly debated with myself whether I should take the elevator or the stairs. I lived on the third floor, which wasn't too bad a walk, but I had been walking around the hotel all day…

As if answering my question, the elevator arrived with a ringing sound. _I'll take the elevator_, I thought. The doors opened, and I stepped inside.

There was only one other person in the elevator with me: a businessman, by the look of his outfit. I pushed the button for the third floor. The elevator doors closed.

With nothing to do but wait, I glanced over at the man. He was oddly stiff, and he stared straight ahead of him. When he turned his head in my direction, I looked away.

"I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you a new resident?"

I was startled at his speech. It took me a moment to respond. "Um, yes. Just this week, actually."

"I see."

We reached the third floor.

I didn't know exactly what else to say, so I just said, "Bye," and left. I think he might have said something else, but I didn't hear him.

I walked down the hallways, with their sparse carpeting, and managed to find my room. I unlocked it and entered.

Decorating my apartment when I first arrived had been a surprisingly simple task. Nowadays, a lot of things were electronic, and it was easy to digitally transfer the furniture to my room. There was a couch, a TV, a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom…

I went into the kitchen and started preparing a late afternoon snack. It still felt _really_ weird to have a place of my own. I mean, I had spent seven months on the road, with just what I needed, and I had obviously stayed with people other than my parents, but it was different having a space that was genuinely, completely my own.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. The furniture that my parents had bought me wasn't technically mine. They didn't exactly feel like mine, either; they seemed oddly artificial to me. I wasn't going to complain, though. It was nice furniture.

Still lost in thought, I picked up my bowl of chips and walked into the living room to eat. _I just hope I can get used to this eventually,_ I thought, munching on the chips. _I don't want to spend all my time here feeling like a-_

A pop and a ringing sound occurred as a small box materialized on the living room carpet. I was so startled I nearly dropped my chips. I set the bowl down on the coffee table. _Must be one last item._ I had set the item transfer service on my computer to automatic so that I wouldn't have to keep approving the furniture transfers. _I better turn that thing off once I check this_. I picked up the box and opened it.

Inside it was a Poké Ball.

_Oh shit._

* * *

It took an agonizingly long time for my mom to pick up. Her lovely, well-groomed face appeared on the Holo Caster. "Yes, dear?"

"Mom, why is a Poké Ball in my room?" I was feeling pretty angry.

"Oh, you received it today? That's good. I was worried it wouldn't arrive at all. They said the system was malfunctioning."

"Don't avoid the question."

"I'm not, sweetie, calm down. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it earlier. I've had a hectic couple of days; emergency business meetings, you know the drill."

"You still haven't answered me. What is it _doing_ here?" I wanted to strangle her.

Her tone of voice sharpened. "Ebony, we've had this conversation before. You knew it would happen eventually. I'm not going to let my daughter wander around the streets of a busy city without some sort of protection."

"But…" It made perfect sense. _Damn it._ "What if I'm not able to take care of it? Also, I'm not sure this apartment-"

"Darling, you work twelve hours a week. There are many people who take care of Pokémon with less free time. And don't worry about the apartment. I already checked to make sure you would be able to have a Pokémon."

Of course she did. Of course. I couldn't say anything.

Her voice became softer. "I know it's sudden, dear. I'm sorry to just drop this on you. But it's been nine months! Don't you think that's long enough?"

"I'm not ready," I replied weakly.

"It won't be the same. Dear, it's just one Pokémon. And you don't _have_ to battle anybody. It's just to keep you safe." Her voice took on a more cheerful tone. "Besides, it'll be your friend! So you won't feel as lonely."

My jaw hurt. "Right." _Yup. It's not like people randomly go up to you and ask you to battle._

"I have to go now, sweetie, but I love you. Dearly. I'll also be sending you a few supplies for Growl. Goodbye."

"Growl?"

The Holo Caster hung up.

Defeated, I flopped down on the couch. _Well. This is just what I needed._ I had to adjust to a new city, a new job, a new apartment, _and_ a new trauma trigger that lived with me everyday.

I took a deep breath.

It made a lot of sense for me to get a Pokémon. All of the reasons she gave were good. Sensible.

And I hated it.

I looked at the Poké Ball in its case. She'd called it "Growl." Was that its name? I picked up the Poké Ball.

Nine months. It had been nine months since I had picked up a Poké Ball. The familiarity of it made me feel shaky. I strengthened my stance, and, flimsily, threw the Poké Ball at the carpet.

Despite the terrible throw, the Poké Ball opened, and "Growl" materialized.

It was just a Growlithe. It let out a small bark.

I realized I'd been holding my breath this whole time. I let it out. "Where did you come from?"

It trotted up to me and started sniffing my leg.

Slowly, I lowered myself onto my knees to better accommodate it.

It seemed to appreciate it. It started to clamber all over me and sniff my face. Then it licked me.

I laughed. To be honest, I really didn't mind this so much. This was nice.

I heard a pop as another thing materialized in the living room.

Growl spun around and barked at the object. Loudly.

"Quiet, Growl." I went over to pick up the object, which was a manila envelope. I opened it and examined the contents.

It was a paper listing information about Growl. I read it aloud. "Name, Growl. Age, estimated three years. Gender, Male. Size…" I trailed off. This stuff wasn't as important. I looked down near the bottom. "Experience Evaluation Level, 35. Current Known Moveset, Flamethrower, Fire Fang, Bite, and Odor Sleuth." That wasn't bad. If I were to be attacked, I'd want this kind of Pokémon by my side.

_Or if I had to battle_. The thought gave me an unpleasant feeling in my stomach. I'd really prefer not to be in such a situation. Unfortunately, if people saw that I had a Pokémon with me, they'd be more likely to challenge me. Of course, the threat of being attacked outweighed the threat of being asked to battle and saying no.

Growl tilted his head and started pawing at me. I gave him a gentle pat on the head.

Another pop sounded, and this time a larger box appeared. Growl barked again. I shushed him and opened the box.

It was supplies. Poké Puffs, a bed, some toys for him, and… a belt. A Trainer belt.

I picked the belt up. My last belt, the one I'd had… it didn't exactly survive. This was obviously a new one.

I put it on. The belt clip went in place with a snap. It was nice and snug. Familiar. Alien.

I put Growl's ball in its socket, then I looked down at Growl. He was staring at me expectantly.

"Well," I said. "What do you think?"

His butt wiggled with excitement, and he started panting.

I laughed and petted him. "Well, we're not going out tonight," I told him. "But tomorrow… maybe we will."

The thought kind of scared me.

_For a walk_, I told myself.

_Just a walk._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I wasn't woken up by my alarm clock that morning.

I felt four paws walking over me, and hot breath on my face. I pushed away at the source of it, then I opened my eyes.

And I remembered.

_Oh, good_. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Good morning."

Growl came over and started pawing at me.

I pushed him away. "Stop that, silly." Man, he sure was adjusting to me quickly. It was surprising. I looked at the clock by my bed. It was nine. _I don't have work today._ I stretched my arms and got out of bed to make breakfast.

A few minutes later, I set down my napkin, having eaten breakfast, and I wondered what I'd do that day.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I had work from ten to four. I had arrived at my apartment fairly late on Monday, too exhausted to do anything else. On Wednesday, I'd had the furniture to deal with, along with some other loose ends. Today was the first day I didn't have anything to do.

_Well, I __**could**__ just stay inside and mess around on my computer all day_, I thought. There were a lot of changes I was adjusting to; just because my parents wanted me to be more active didn't mean I _had_ to start right away.

I heard a whine from the ground below me. I looked down.

Growl was standing perfectly still, looking up at me expectantly. He had already finished the breakfast I had given him.

_Oh, jeez_. "What is it, boy?"

He ran around in circles a few times and then stopped by the door. He looked at me again.

_He's not gonna let me just stay inside, is he?_ "Okay, okay. I did say we'd go out today. Just let me take care of some things, and I'll take you out on a walk."

He ran around in circles a few more times.

I lost track of time for a while; if you let them, side tasks will eat up more time than you think. However, at about ten thirty, I got off the computer, snapped on the belt, called Growl, closed and locked the apartment door, and we set out on our walk.

The street was pretty busy at this point. Made sense; this was probably one of the busiest streets in the city. I shouldered my way past several people, muttering awkward apologies to each one. I kept a close eye on my purse, afraid it would be snatched away in the crowd. After a while, though, the amount of people lessened, and I relaxed.

Growl had been well behaved throughout the entire thing, trotting along happily by my side. With his excitable nature, I half-expected him to go running off down an alley somewhere, even with his training. I guess he was a bit better than that, though.

The buildings in this city were pretty. In the city I used to live in, a lot of the buildings were fairly plain. Here, though, even if there was dirt and grime, an underlying beauty was still there.

_Except for that one_, I thought, looking at a building across the street. _That one looks pretty bad_.

It was about five minutes later that I realized I had no idea where I was going.

I stopped, pulse quickening. _Crap._ I reached into my purse for my C-Gear. It wasn't there; I must have left it at home. _Crap, crap, crap_. I started walking back the way I came, looking for something familiar. _I'm pretty sure the apartment complex is just down this street,_ I thought. _I hope_. I stopped and stared.

A large crowd had gathered on the street. Large striped barriers blocked the way. I walked forward. Signs on the barriers said, "Off-limits for the Candlelight Parade, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m."

_These barriers couldn't have been put up just five minutes ago. This must not be the street I came down_. _Sheesh, this was supposed to be a five-minute walk!_ I fought the fear rising up within me and turned around, continuing down the street. _Maybe there's a detour somewhere that I can take. Or someplace with a map. _There was a nearby alley. It looked innocent enough. I looked at Growl.

He sniffed at the walls close to the alley, then looked up at me, tail wagging.

I took that as an "okay." I inhaled deeply and started walking down the alley.

_If anyone attacks me, I'll have my Pokémon out,_ I reminded myself. After a few minutes, and just when I thought I had given up, I got to the other end of the alley.

It opened up to a small, round courtyard with a red obelisk in the center. It was empty.

I sighed and sat down on the grass near the obelisk. _How could things go like this?_ It was only supposed to be five minutes.

Growl did his business several feet away, then came over and sat down next to me, pawing me.

I scratched him behind the ears. "I'm such a genius, Growl. Seven months travelling on my own, and I get lost the first time I try to explore. Good job, me."

"You lost, lady?"

I jumped to my feet and spun around.

A young boy was standing nearby. His eyes were bright and curious. I noticed that he had his hand in his pocket.

He could help me. "Um, yeah. I'm looking for the Hotel Richissime. Do you know where it is?" I could find my way home from there, I was pretty sure.

He nodded and smiled. "Maybe."

_Maybe?_ I smiled back at him, confused. "Why maybe?"

His smile spread into a full grin. "Depends on if you'll battle me."

_Oh_. A slight queasy feeling manifested in my gut. I tried not to let it show. "Sorry, but I don't battle."

"Yes, you do. I can tell."

"What?"

"'S the way you walk. And how you jump up. You're a Trainer, you are."

_Great. I'm an open book._ I smiled in a way that was hopefully polite. "Well, I don't battle anymore. Sorry."

"I won't tell you where Hotel Richissime is unless you battle me." He crossed his arms.

Fear spread through me and practically paralyzed me. _I really, __**really**__ don't want to battle_. But I didn't have many other options. I unglued my tongue from the roof of my mouth. "Look, I…"

"Andy!"

We both turned to look at the source of the voice.

A young woman strode out of the alley and glared at the boy. "What's all this, then?"

The boy stumbled over his words. "I was just challenging her to a battle-"

"And she needed your help!" The young woman shook her head. "Honestly. Treating a lady in need like that. Shame on you."

The boy looked down at his feet. He mumbled something.

"Don't you 'sorry' me, I ain't the one you bothered. Say sorry to her." She gestured at me.

The boy turned to me. "Sorry," he said, louder this time.

I smiled, feeling awkward. "It's- it's okay. Just-"

"Andrew! Where are you? Come on, we need to go to the parade!" The voice was not the young woman's.

Andrew jumped, surprised. He looked between the young woman and me. "I, uh…"

The young woman sighed. "Oh, Andy, go on. Have fun at the parade. Just listen to people when they say 'no' next time, okay?"

The boy nodded and ran off.

I realized that my muscles had been tense the entire time. I slowly relaxed and let out a deep breath. _Wow. Glad I got out of that one._ I felt relieved until I realized I had been scared of a battle with a little boy. Then I felt embarrassed.

"So, you're lost?" The young woman came up to me.

"Pretty much." I let out a nervous laugh. I felt like such an idiot.

"Well, I'm the gal for you! I know this city like the back of my hand- oh, is this your Growlithe?"

Growl, who I had forgotten about, was sniffing at the young woman's feet.

The young woman knelt down and rubbed his head. "Oh, look at you! You're such a handsome guy, yes you are!"

He seemed to like her. He wiggled his butt playfully.

While she was playing with Growl, I took a better look at her.

She seemed to be about my age, with dark hair and dark blue eyes. Her curly hair was pulled into two large ponytails that came out from behind her head.

_She seems nice,_ I thought.

After a few moments, she seemed to remember I was there, and stood up, clearing her throat. "Sorry, you're lost. Well, I'd be happy to help you get to the hotel, if you like!"

I belatedly realized that her accent from when she had been talking to Andrew had changed when she talked to me. _Huh_. "I don't want to bother you if you're busy, I just-"

She waved it off. "No, not at all! I'm not busy today, actually; in fact, I was just about to go to the parade."

The parade. "The… Candlelight Parade, right?"

"Sure is." She gave me a startled look. "Don't tell me you've never seen the Candlelight Parade?"

Had I? I was pretty sure I hadn't. "I… don't think so. I haven't been here very long."

"Oh, you _have_ to see it! Can your business at the hotel wait?"

I blinked. Parades were crowded, and I wasn't a huge fan of crowds. Still… "Um, sure. I wasn't planning on doing much today, anyway."

Her face lit up. "Great! Awesome!" She stuck out her hand. "I'm Emma, by the way. Nice to meet you!"

I shook it. "Ebony."

"Ebony? Wow, that's a cool name. How'd you get it?"

I shrugged. "My mom told me my eyes were black when I was little."

We started walking towards the parade.

Growl trotted behind us.

Emma didn't stop talking to me. "So, where did you come from, if not from here?"

"I came from Unova. My parents sent me over here." I really hoped she wouldn't ask why.

She didn't. "Really? I've heard really interesting things about that place. So, this is the first time you've been over here?"

"Well, no, we have family over here. We've visited before, it's just the first time I'm, you know, _staying_ here."

"Oh, cool!"

My feet were getting a bit tired. _I don't think I've walked quite this much in some time._ "And what about you? How long have you been here?"

She looked around. "Me? Pretty much my whole life. I was born here, and I lived on the streets for about sixteen years. Up until three years ago, that is."

On the streets? Sixteen years? "I… really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. A lot of people are surprised to hear that. I made do with what I had, but I'm in a much better place now."

_Emma seems a lot more complicated than I thought. _"Well, I'm glad you're in a better place. What happened?" I stopped, surprised by how bold I was being. "If you don't mind me asking, that is." _Why does this girl make me __**talk**__?_

She seemed surprised. "Huh? Oh! Well…" She thought for a moment. "I met this nice man. He gave me a home. And a job."

My eyebrows went up. "Just like that?"

"Yeah! And now I'm much happier for it. I get to help people!"

My curiosity really kicked in. "You help people? How?"

"Well, I'm a consultant," she replied. "People come to me with problems, like when they can't find something, and I help them."

"Oh." I couldn't think to say anything else.

We were silent for just a little while after that. Then she spoke again. "So! You don't know about the Candlelight Parade?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, today, three years ago, Team Flare nearly destroyed Kalos, and the world! But luckily, they were stopped, so every year since then we've taken this day to celebrate the beauty of Kalos, and the fact that we're still alive."

"Oh, right!" We had heard of Team Flare in Unova. "So, this parade is a yearly thing?"

"Yup! And tomorrow is the anniversary of the Great War. Tonight, we light a whole bunch of candles to honor the lives that were lost. That's why it's called the Candlelight Parade."

I had to admit, I found all of this really interesting. _How did I not know about this?_ "What else happens today?"

"Well, let's see. It's fairly recent, so we have stuff like games, food…" She listed the different kinds of festivities during the rest of the walk to the parade.

* * *

What was supposed to be a five-minute walk turned into a five-hour trip through Lumiose City and the Candlelight Parade. Emma seemed to know where all the attractions were, despite the fact that this event was created only a few years ago. It was like a GPS was built into her brain; she wasn't kidding when she said how well she knew the city.

The large crowds and noise overwhelmed me very quickly. I didn't think I would last fifteen minutes, let alone five hours. But Emma seemed to notice when I got overwhelmed, and would take me to quieter places to relax for a while. Overall, it was pretty fun.

Still, that didn't stop me from being dead tired by the time we had finished seeing the sights.

It was about four thirty, and we were walking down one of the quieter streets.

"The last event of the evening starts at eight and goes to midnight," she told me. "It's the candle-lighting ceremony, and it's one of my favorite parts. Everything is just so quiet, you know? And there are all these lit candles, it's beautiful."

"Emma," I replied, my voice slightly husky from dehydration and exhaustion. "I don't think I can stay up that late. I think Growl and I need to go home now." I looked down at my belt. Growl had kept up for a long time through all the excitement, but even he had lost his energy about an hour ago.

"Oh, okay, sure! Yeah, we've been walking around all day, makes sense. The whole ceremony is broadcasted on television anyway, so you probably could catch it there, if you wanted. It's just that it's nice to see in person- hey, are you thirsty?"

"Huh? Um, sure." I'd had one or two bottles of water earlier (with subsequent bathroom trips), but it had been a while, and we had walked quite a distance.

Emma peered ahead on the street, then turned back to me, a slightly sheepish look on her face. "Could I show you one last place? It's just up the street here. It's nice and quiet, and there won't be many people there with the Parade going on. It'll be really quick."

I was exhausted. I needed to go home, where it was warm and safe. Still, I _was_ thirsty, and if it was just a quiet and quick stop like she said… "Okay."

"Great! It's a very nice place, don't worry." She took my hand and led me up the street.

The place she showed me to was called _ManaTea_, and it was unlike any café I'd seen. The entire place was a cascade of vibrant colors that challenged the eye. Pictures of Pokémon and drinks covered the walls. The furniture had a very modern and sleek design. This "place" felt like something from another dimension.

Emma was right about it being quiet, though; the only people here besides the baristas were someone reading a magazine in a seat in the corner and a rebelliously dressed (is that a punk style?) man sitting at the counter.

Emma gestured toward the large menu above the counter. "Take your time to pick, there's no rush!"

_Pick?_ I looked at the menu.

I thought the hotel food had bizarre names, but this place seemed to top that. Pretty much all of the menu items were drinks, but they were named in such a way that it was impossible to tell what exactly they _were_, or what they tasted like. I mean, they listed the ingredients under each drink, but… but…

My tired mind couldn't process the amount of choices. I gave Emma a helpless look.

She laughed and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Okay! I'll order for you this time. But don't blame me if it's not what you want!" She walked up to the counter.

The barista, who had been waiting patiently for us, smiled. "Hi, welcome to _ManaTea_, what can I get for you two?"

"I'd like a Bubblebeam with Oran bubbles, and she'll have… hmm… a Mystical Fire with Magost bubbles."

The barista repeated the order and put it into the card reader. "All right, your total will be 300 Pokédollars."

300 Pokédollars? _Wow, that's actually pretty cheap_.

Emma reached into her purse to pull out an ID.

I felt bad. "Emma, you don't have to pay for me. I should-"

"Don't be silly! I'm the one who dragged you all over the place today. It's the least I can do! My treat." She gave her ID to the barista, who slid it through the card reader and gave it back to her. She led me to the counter, where we sat.

She had said that she dragged me all over the place… that sounded wrong. I cleared my throat. "Actually, you know, I had a lot of fun today." It had been exhausting, overwhelming, and sometimes kind of terrifying, but still. Fun.

Emma seemed cheered by that. "I'm really glad! The Candlelight Parade is a lot of fun. I didn't really have anyone to go with, and Mimi doesn't really like parades, so I'm glad I got to meet you."

Somehow, despite the fact that I was an awkward person with no social skills, I had made a friend. In one day. Wow. _Wait. Who's Mimi?_ I was about to ask her when the barista set the drinks in front of us.

They were clear plastic cups with colorful contents and large straws. The sides of the cups were emblazoned with the head of a Manaphy. _Must be where the name comes from_. I looked closer. There were… things in the bottom of the drinks. What _were_ they?

Emma took her drink and punctured the plastic seal on the top with her straw. "What you do, see, is you put the end of the straw at the bottom, and you suck up the gummies through the straw! The gummies can come in the shapes of Pokémon, but I always feel bad eating them, so I just order Bubbles instead."

This was so weird. I had never seen anything like this before. I punctured the seal on the top, like she had, and then I took a sip.

It was actually pretty good. Something about the taste wasn't completely to my liking though. "Hey, this is-"

Emma was looking away from me, out the window of the restaurant. She didn't respond to me. She seemed… tense, actually.

_What happened?_ "Emma?"

She turned to me, an apologetic look on her face. "I-I'm really sorry, but there's something I have to do. You can keep my drink. I'll see you later, bye!" She leapt off of her seat and ran out of the café.

I sat there, stunned.

_What was __**that**__ about?_

I looked over at her drink. It looked nice, but… _I'm not drinking that._ Still, I felt awkward just disposing of it. I picked up the two drinks and moved to a small table nearby.

Now that Emma was gone, suddenly everything seemed unsettling to me. _It shouldn't matter that she isn't here_, I thought glumly._ I traveled for seven months._ Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about my surroundings.

I sipped at my drink, trying to quell the rising anxiety in my chest. _It'll be okay. There's probably a taxi service. I can call a cab and I'll be able to get home._ Besides, this place wasn't exactly scary. The only people here were the baristas, that strange man at the counter, and the person reading the magazine in the corner-

The person reading the magazine lowered it the slightest bit, and I got a glimpse of his face.

A jolt ran through my body.

It was _Thomas._

He didn't look much different from when I last saw him in Aquacorde. He was wearing the same coat and hat as before.

It felt surreal to see him again. I didn't know exactly why I was so fascinated by seeing him, but I was. _What has he been up to here?_

His eyes met mine, and a brief look of alarm passed over his face, then he held up the magazine so I couldn't see his face.

He was such a strange person. I really couldn't understand his behavior. _Does he… not want to be seen?_ I was extremely curious about what he would say if I went over and talked to him, but my shyness got the better of me. _He doesn't seem to want to talk._ I quietly sipped at my drink, but I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. _Or maybe he just doesn't want to talk to __**me**__._ The thought was kind of sad.

"Oy."

I nearly jumped out of my seat. "Huh? What?"

It was the man from the counter. He had come over to my table and was staring at me. "Yeh. I totally feel it."

I had no idea what to say. "I, uh…"

"Felt it when yeh first walked in. Yer a Trainer, ain't ya? A good one, too. I can see it in yer eyes."

_Oh, not this again._ I cleared my throat. "Look, I-"

He sat down in a seat next to me. "C'mon, let's hear it, then. What kind of Pokémon ya got on yer?" I could smell his breath. He'd had more than tea.

I began to feel more nervous than before. "I don't battle anymore. I'm not a Trainer."

His eyes widened. "Wooooooooot?"

The situation would have been comical if I wasn't so scared. I looked over at Thomas to see what he was doing.

He was still absorbed in that magazine. Or at least, he seemed to be.

"Nahhh, yer jokin'. Yeh gotta be. Nobody just gives up on battlin'."

I looked back at the punk guy. "I did."

He tried to process this, then shook his head. He raised and flopped his hand on my shoulder. "Nah. Yeh know what yer problem is?" His words were slightly slurred together.

I opened my mouth, but couldn't think of a response.

"Yeh've just forgotten how fun battlin' is, that's what. C'mon. Let's go outside."

_Oh Arceus, someone save me_. I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

"Nah, yer not. Yer vibes're all tangled up. Like a Tangela." He let out a hiccupy laugh at his joke. "A good battle'll straighten yeh out."

I was way too tired for this.

Thomas got up and swiftly walked over to the door.

I saw this as my chance. I spoke in a low voice, "I have to go. Look, take this drink." I pushed Emma's drink at the man, picked up mine, and threw it in a garbage bin. I waited until Thomas had exited through the doors, then followed him out.

"Work on yer vibes, lady," I heard the man inside say before the doors shut.

It was only when I got outside and felt the bite of the night air that I realized I had no idea what I was doing.

Thomas was walking away.

I knew it would be dumb to follow him. Dumb and creepy. _So what if I saw him? I should just go home. I might see him another time._ Maybe. I watched as he ducked into a narrow alley. _Don't be a creeper._ I turned to call a cab.

But something caught my eye.

A group of people- five people- went into the alley behind him.

A feeling nagged at my gut._ I'm being paranoid. They're just… five people…_

It didn't seem right.

I took out Growl's Poké Ball and let him out.

Growl, having rested for an hour, already seemed energetic again. He jumped up and whined with excitement.

I shushed him. "Not now, Growl. We need to be quiet."

He sat, but his tail was still wagging.

I gestured him along, and we snuck into the alley.

It didn't take us long to catch up to them. The five people had cornered Thomas in a small courtyard ahead. They seemed fairly innocent looking at first glance; their clothing was casual, normal.

Then I saw the black cloth masks that they wore.

It sent a chill up my spine.

Thomas was standing on a pile of metal crates. Oddly enough, he didn't seem too alarmed. His eyes were alert, but calm.

I perched near the entrance to the courtyard, kept a hand on Growl, and listened.

"…two point five thousand, but you have to tell me who you work for," Thomas was saying.

"Shut the hell up. Give us the money, or we'll take it from you." It was one of the people at the front who spoke.

_They're robbing him_. I had left my C-Gear at home. I couldn't call the police.

Thomas didn't seem fazed. "You don't seem confident about catching me, or you'd have done it by now. Tell me who you work for, and I'll _pay_ you."

The five people looked at each other. Finally, two of the people pulled Poké Balls out of their jackets and threw them out.

A pair of Mightyena appeared and started growling.

Thomas face became grim.

_Oh, shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit. __**Shit**__. I should really do something._ I looked at Growl. _Let's see. He knows Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Bite, and Odor Sleuth_. I looked at the five people.

Most of them were turned away from me. If Growl or I tried to attack them head on, though, their Mightyena would easily catch us. And I doubted they would "play fair."

"You give us your money or we set the Mightyena on you."

Over the courtyard, there was a large awning. The supports…

A frightful plan formed in my head.

_I'm not sure if this will really work, but…_ I turned to Growl. "Growl, I need you to do something." I whispered a series of commands to him.

His tail gave a confirmative wag and he was off.

_I really hope this works._

Thomas's assailants hadn't done anything else yet. "You're running out of time. Make your decision."

Growl let out a burst of flame.

One of the supports started to burn.

_If Growl takes too long, they might notice the smoke,_ I thought. I tightly gripped my bag.

Thomas spotted Growl, and the awning.

I held my breath.

Thomas looked away, his face suddenly anxious. "Wait. Fine. I'll give you the money. Just… give me a second." He started to rummage through the bag he carried.

The people didn't call back the Mightyena. "Toss us the bag."

"No, please. It'll only take a minute." He continued to go through the bag.

_He's buying us time._ I looked over at Growl.

The second support was burning. Just one left.

Thomas looked up from the bag. "I don't have it with me," he said, his voice shaky.

"That's it-"

The last support snapped.

The awning came crashing down. The robbers were caught in the cloth. The fire fizzled out.

I only had the briefest of moments to notice that Growl was safe before Thomas was suddenly beside me. His eyes scanned me, then he said, "Come on," and started running down the alley.

_Holy shit. This is happening._ I retrieved Growl, who was sprinting up to me, and I ran after Thomas.

He was waiting for me right where the alley met the street. Without explanation, he handed me his coat, now turned inside out. "Put this on."

"I- what-"

"Quickly."

I put it on. It fit, but it felt kind of weird on me. It was still warm.

He took off his hat, linked arms with me, and suddenly we were walking down the street.

_I have no idea what's going on._ I opened my mouth to speak. "I-"

"You were just telling me about your apartment."

I started. "Huh?"

His whole demeanor had changed. He looked at me… oddly. Admiringly. He smiled. "Your new apartment? You said you'd found this nice place."

I was so taken off-guard by what he said that it took me a moment to formulate a response. "Yes…" _He's… acting. Does he think we're being followed-?_ "Yes. It's pretty great. It's got… a great view." I wasn't sure I was doing so well.

"Really? Well-" He leaned a little closer to me. "-I guess you'll have to show me sometime."

_Oh. Oh. That's what we're pretending to be._ My cheeks flushed. I turned my head away.

He continued. "Anyway, there's this wonderful restaurant I went to the other day."

I looked back at him and tried to seem curious. "Really? What's it called?"

"I think it was…"

The "conversation" continued for a few more minutes. We talked about places we had seen in the city and foods we had eaten (which wasn't much on my part, since I hadn't spent much time in this city). He seemed to be a lot better at acting than I was; I kept stumbling over my words.

Finally, we had reached a street that had a lot more people in it, and he pulled me into a small nook.

_Good. Answers._ I opened my mouth to speak, but his question hit me like a Vine Whip.

"What were you _doing_ back there?"

I was shocked. "What?"

He shook his head. "Just… what did you think you were doing?"

Now I was angry. Angry and tired. "Hey, you're welcome. It's not like I _had_ to save you or anything."

"You could have just called the police. Thatmight have been a little safer than lighting things on fire."

"Well…" I struggled to find words. "I forgot my C-Gear. So, I couldn't. Call the police." _Which meant that I had to light things on fire._ It was kind of a flimsy explanation.

He gazed out into the street with a weary look.

_Okay, now it's my turn for questions._ "Who _were_ those people?"

"Muggers. Who did you think?"

"Well, you asked who they were working for."

He gave me a sharp look. _He didn't expect me to notice that._ "…Yes. I thought they might have been working for somebody."

I waited.

He shook his head again. "Look. I appreciate the help you gave me. But I'm not the kind of person you should get involved with. Or follow down alleys."

"I wasn't following you. I was following the muggers." It was true. I had decided against following him.

He was unimpressed. "You were going to follow me."

I was irritated. "No."

"Well, regardless of what you were planning, we're parting ways now. Have a safe trip home. Don't go down any more dark alleys." And with that, he turned around and left.

_Whatever. I saved you._ Feeling exhausted, I started to leave the nook.

"Ebony?"

I spun around. "Huh?" _He remembered my name._

Thomas had returned. "I… need my coat back."

"Oh." I forgot I was wearing it. I took it off and gave it back to him, feeling sheepish. "Here."

He took it. "Thanks." He left.

Everything hurt. I needed to go home. I ventured out of the nook to find the nearest cab.

* * *

About an hour later, I was collapsed on the bed in my apartment, thoughts whirling around my head. Thomas. Emma. I had met two people today, both who left me in a state of confusion. Both of whom I wasn't sure I'd see again.

Growl was draped over me. I had given him a load of Poké Puffs for his hard work today.

I scratched him behind the ears.

He let out a sleepy moan.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I'm tired, too." I looked out the bedroom window.

The streets were glowing.

_Wait, that's right. It must be the candle-lighting ceremony._ I pushed Growl aside, got off the bed, and went up to the window.

Emma was right.

It was beautiful.

I let the beauty of it wash away my thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Fire. Smoke. Burning.

I woke up in a cold sweat.

The bed sheets were tangled around my legs.

_Not real._ I took deep breaths to calm myself. _It's gone. It's over._

The words I told myself didn't help. But I started to calm down. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock.

Five thirty in the morning.

I groaned.

Growl hopped up onto the bed and walked over to me, head tilted.

I petted him. "It's okay. This happens sometimes."

He lay down on the bed next to me and closed his eyes.

I looked at the clock. _If I try, I __**might**__ be able to sleep for a few hours._ My heart was still racing, though. I doubted I'd be able to sleep.

I had forgotten to take a bath last night. Maybe the warm water would make me feel better. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

I nearly jumped out of my skin upon opening the bathroom door. _Sheesh. Relax. It's just your reflection._ I took a deep breath and looked at the mirror. Maroon hair. Dark green eyes. Yup. That was me. I closed and locked the bathroom door behind me, then shed my pajamas and got in the bath.

Several minutes later, sitting in the warm water, I tried to process what had happened yesterday.

_So. I went out for a five-minute walk. I met Emma. She's about my age, and she helps people. We went to the parade and walked around for five hours_\- my legs were still really sore- _and then we went to… ManaTea? Right, because the mascot was a Manaphy. And then she ran away because she needed to do something._ That had been weird of her. I didn't have any way of knowing if I could meet her again._ Then I saw Thomas, and he got in trouble with some muggers. And I destroyed public property in order to save him._ In retrospect, it had been pretty dangerous; it could have gone horribly wrong. Still, he could have been more grateful. _And then he left._

I could feel my head spinning. I held it. _How… how did I even get through all that? _Just one or two months ago, a fifteen-minute walk would have intimidated me. But yesterday, I had walked all over the place with people I didn't even really know.

_Well, it won't matter now_, I thought defiantly. _Because I'm not doing anything today._ Things had been interesting yesterday, but I wasn't going to be swept up like that again. Today, I was just going to relax. I stepped out of the bathtub, dried myself off, changed back into my pajamas, and went back to bed and slept.

I woke up several hours later.

Growl was on my chest.

I sighed.

* * *

Saturday was much less exciting than Friday had been. Besides walking Growl in the morning, I didn't leave the apartment. I lazed around on the computer all day- and because of the exciting events of yesterday, I didn't feel guilty about it.

Still, even as I was glad about how quiet the day was, and the fact that I was getting rest, I started feeling really lonely. Sure, Growl was there, and he was fun to spend time with, but I didn't have anyone to talk to about how things had been the past few days, how I felt about all the changes in my life.

In the evening, however, I received a call from my dad.

His voice came out of the C-Gear. "Hi, honey, how have you been?"

_Overwhelmed? Tired? Confused?_ "I've been pretty good," I replied.

"That's good. Did you go to… what was it… the Candlestick Parade? I heard that it happened just yesterday."

"The Candlelight Parade? Yes. It was nice."

"And… did you go with anyone?"

Almost any other time, this would have turned out with me saying no and Dad giving me a lecture about meeting people. This time, however… "Yes, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes. Her name is Emma, and-"

"Sweetie, I'm really sorry, but I don't have much time. I have a meeting with this client coming up. I just wanted to check up on you. I'll call you later, okay?"

My stomach felt hollow. "Okay."

"I love you. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up.

I sighed. This wasn't the shortest phone call that I'd received from either of my parents. _Why did he even ask if he wasn't going to wait for the answer?_ He would probably have more time to talk a few days from now. I put my C-Gear aside and went back to what I was doing.

The next day was pretty similar. I went out for a walk with Growl in the morning, and then stayed inside for the rest of the day. On Monday, I went grocery shopping, but other than that, it was the same.

In the late Monday afternoon, I was sitting on the bed with my computer on my lap.

Growl was lying beside my leg, asleep.

I raised my leg and gently poked him with my foot.

He let out a sleepy grunt and curled up into a ball.

_Growl used Defense Curl_, I thought with a smile.

Defense Curl. Pokémon curl up to heal, or when they're afraid of being hurt.

_Kind of like me._

The thought came out of nowhere. I pursued it._ In the past, whenever Dad and Mom were busy, and I was alone, I would distract myself. Eventually, it would get to the point where I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I wouldn't really notice when I was hungry, or lonely. But the pain from being lonely wouldn't really go away, so I wouldn't stop absorbing myself in things. Someone would have to come in to tell me that lunch or dinner was ready, and that's when I'd notice how hungry or lonely I was._

Now that I was living by myself, without someone like Lily living with me, it was even easier to get into that state of mind. _I don't want to live like this_. But I didn't know what else to do; I didn't exactly have friends, and the only people who could have been friends I didn't know how to contact. Or, in Thomas's case, wanted nothing to do with me.

_Tomorrow, I'll be going to work again. That'll be something at least._ It was a slightly comforting thought. I allowed myself to be distracted by the computer again.

* * *

"So, we're doing something a bit different today." Esse was a fast walker, but I was pleased to find that I could keep up with her. "One of our guests said he left behind his ID in Conference Room 4. Since it isn't fragile, and it'll probably be easy to find, I'm going to let you take care of this while I work on another job, okay?"

This was the first time I'd be working by myself at this job. Even though I knew it wasn't a huge deal, I felt a bit nervous and awed at the responsibility. "Okay."

"Great. Here we are." We reached the conference room.

It was really big. All of the chairs were off to the sides in stacks. The floor looked fairly clean, though; I couldn't see the ID.

Esse patted me on the shoulder. "Good luck! I'll be in Room 205 if you need me. Meet me there once you've finished!" She left.

I started looking around. I had to admit, even if the work was a little boring, it felt nice doing things again. Sitting around in my apartment for three days with nobody to interact with had made me feel dull. Doing these kinds of things gave me more to think about.

Still, my mind couldn't help but wander back to that eventful Friday. I wondered if I'd ever see Emma again. _She seemed really cool. Maybe if I went back to that plaza where I met her…_ But I didn't know how to get back there. Plus, it might be a little bit stalkery. _Said the lady who wanted to follow Thomas down a dark and narrow alleyway._ But I had decided not to. _But then I ended up doing it anyway._

Holy crap, I was bad at this. I shook my head to clear the thoughts away and kept looking for the ID card. It didn't seem to be anywhere on the floor. Or in the nooks and crannies by the stage. I scratched my head.

Growl knew Odor Sleuth. My hand rested on his Poké Ball. Maybe I could bring him out, and he could help me find it. _Probably not. He would need to have the owner's scent first. Besides, I'm not sure I'm allowed to use my Pokémon on the job. Ah, well._ I took my hand off of the ball. _Let's see. If he was sitting, maybe his ID fell onto his chair?_ I looked at the stacks of chairs and winced. _Those are a lot of chairs._ But it was the beginning of my shift. I'd have time to look. I started looking through the chairs.

Bingo. It was in the first chair I looked at, tucked next to the cushion. I pulled it out and gave it a look. James Warburton. Feeling cheered by my success, I began to walk out of the conference room.

The door opened before I reached it. An unexpected figure slipped in, turned around, and froze.

Thomas.

Again.

He looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

A silence filled the air.

It looked like he didn't know what to say. Finally, he said, "Hi."

"Hi," I responded.

Another silence.

He broke it. "So, you work here?"

"Yes." I wasn't going to let him get away easily, though. "Why are you here?"

"I'm doing my job," he replied. He looked at my hands. "What are you holding?"

"Something I was supposed to find. What is your-"

"May I see it?" He kept staring at the ID card.

_Why does he want to see this person's ID?_ I put my hands behind my back. "Why do you care?"

He seemed irritated. "I'm not going to take it. I just want to see it."

I was still feeling a bit bitter about Friday evening. "I don't know. Last time you saw me, you said I shouldn't get involved with you."

He gave me a pained look.

I didn't budge.

He took a deep breath. "If you let me just look at the ID, I'll tell you what I'm doing here."

"You will?"

"I promise."

Cautiously, I held out the ID at eye level.

He looked at it for a few seconds, then nodded, as if confirming something. "Thanks."

I lowered the ID. "Okay, now you keep your end of the bargain."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke. "I'm a private detective."

"Really?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out a card. He held it at eye-level, like I did.

Thomas, Private Investigator. I could see the Kalosian seal on it. But I had no idea if it was real or fake. "Okay."

He put the card away. "Yesterday evening, two Mega Stones were stolen from the Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue. Each costing about 1,000,000 Pokédollars."

Wow. "So… how's the ID involved?" I looked at it. "You think this guy did it?"

"I am almost certain that he did. But I'd need to see the Mega Stones in his possession to prove it. I don't know what room he's staying in, though." He paused. "Do you know?"

"No." _But maybe…_ "I might be able to help, though," I said slowly.

Thomas looked pensive for a few moments. I thought he'd tell me not to get involved again, but he surprised me. "I… could use your help, actually."

It was weird. I was happy to hear that from him. _I can do something!_ "Okay. So, what do you need help with?" _Wait, what am I getting into?_

"Like I said, I don't know what his room number is. I also don't actually know if he has the Mega Stones. And if he isn't caught today, there's a chance he'll get away. Is one of your jobs room cleaning?"

I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. "Uh, yes."

"If you found his room and set up a cleaning cart outside, nobody would question you searching through his room."

That made me really uneasy. "You want me to abuse my maid status to search his room?"

He crossed his arms. "Or you could just let me do the searching. That way, you wouldn't be implicated."

I thought about it.

_Can I really trust Thomas? In all the times I've seen him, he's acted really weird. Still, I saw him help those Potion shop owners. And while he's certainly acted weird, he's done good things._

_You know what, I'll go with it. Maids clean the rooms all the time. Maybe I can just take a quick peek._ "I'll do it. I'm not going rifling through his suitcase, though."

Thomas nodded. "Fine. Just take a look and tell me if you see anything suspicious."

"Okay." I frowned. "Wait, will you be there too?"

"No. I'll be down in the lobby. Hand me your C-Gear." He extended his hand.

Reluctantly, I handed my C-Gear over to him.

He pushed a few buttons, then returned it to me. "I've given you my number. You can call me once you find the room, and tell me what you see."

I took the C-Gear back. "Okay. I'll do that." _Did he just-?_

"Good."

A third silence.

Thomas turned around. "I'll be in the lobby. Thanks for your help." He started to leave.

"Wait."

He stopped.

"If I find out that you used me, or lied to me…"

His eyes met mine. "Understood." He left.

The silence suddenly seemed deafening.

I looked down at my C-Gear.

_What did I get myself __**into**__?_

* * *

I returned the ID card to Esse.

She was happy to see it. "Great! You didn't have too much trouble finding it, did you?"

"No." Finding it had been easy enough.

"There are just one or two more things to find, then we should be done."

"Okay." I followed her to work.

About one and a half hours later, my work with Esse ended, and I found myself face to face with Ward.

He stood still, silently surveying me.

I smiled politely, trying not to show my rising panic. _I need to find a way to get to that man's room._ _Maybe I could sneak away in the middle of my work? But then the work would be unfinished, and that would reflect badly on me-_

Ward spoke. "We had a lot of guests last week. Because of this, there are some rooms that haven't been scheduled for cleaning by any specific maids. Today, you will choose which rooms you will clean. Furthermore, I will not be supervising you. _However_, if I receive a single complaint about your work, you can be assured I will not look upon it kindly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Here's the list and your cart." He handed them to me. "The rest of the rooms will be cleaned by the other maids. You only have to choose four of them." He turned around and walked away.

I waited until he was out of sight before I let out the air in my lungs. _Well. This could actually go okay._ I looked around the hallway to make sure that no one was around, and then I let out Growl.

Growl leapt up in the air and pawed at my frock.

"Shhh, keep quiet." I patted him on the head. "Do you remember James?"

He tilted his head at the name and flared his nostrils.

"We need to find James and his room. Can you find James?"

He wagged his tail and started sniffing the air.

Earlier, I wasn't sure how I'd be able to find the room. The hotel registry was kept under strict eyes; it would have been hard to come up with a good excuse to see it. Then I got the idea of using the scent from the ID to track it to the room. However, I was afraid that I'd have to keep the ID so that Growl could track, which would have meant pocketing it and lying to Esse. I was uncomfortable enough searching the room; I didn't want to be a thief as well.

Growl started to go down the hallway.

I smiled.

Luckily, Growl was a very smart boy.

I followed him, dragging the cart behind me.

It didn't take us too long to find his room. It was on the same floor that we had started on. Which was good, because I wasn't sure what I would have done if someone had seen Growl while we were traversing the floors.

Once we had gotten to the door, Growl started prancing around and looked up at me with the most gleeful expression.

I knelt down and scratched him behind the ears. "Good job, goofnugget. You're such a good boy!"

His tail was wagging so hard I thought his butt might fall off.

I retrieved him, then straightened up and looked at the door. _Okay, this is the place._ My heart was now in my throat. I swallowed. _Relax. You're just a maid cleaning a room._ I looked at the list. This room was on there. And there wasn't a "Do Not Disturb" sign. _I'm just doing my job._ I knocked on the door.

There wasn't a response.

He was out. _So far, so-_ I caught myself. _Don't think that. That's when things go wrong._ I took out my maid key, unlocked the door, and entered the room.

The room was surprisingly clean. For some reason, I was expecting there to be more of a mess. The bed wasn't made, but the suitcase was packed and upright. _Was he planning on leaving soon?_

_Oh, right, I was supposed to call Thomas._ I got out my C-Gear and selected his number.

He picked up after one ring. "You found the room?"

"Yes. I'm inside of it now. It's Room 236." I kept my voice low.

"Good. What do you see?"

"Not much. His suitcase is packed, but…" On the desk, there were a few things. I went over to it.

There was a shoulder bag, a pad of paper from the hotel, and… a pair of Poké Balls.

"Do you see anything else? There has to be something." Thomas was still there.

"There are two Poké Balls on the table," I told him. _Why would he leave his Pokémon behind like this?_ I picked one of the Poké Balls up.

It was too heavy. It felt… fake.

I tossed it up into the air. It made a _clunk_ sound as I caught it.

_Of course! He could clip these to his belt, and no one would even think of checking them._ I pressed the button on the ball. It opened.

A rainbow-hued stone met my eyes.

I smiled.

"What's going on? Did you find the stones?"

"Yes." I pressed the button on the other ball. It opened to reveal another stone. "They were hidden inside fake Poké Balls."

"Nice work." Thomas sounded genuinely impressed. "Now close them and leave them there. I'll call the police." He hung up.

_My work is done._ I sighed deeply and closed the two Poké Balls. I started to leave the room.

Suddenly, a man appeared in the doorway.

My limbs became rigid.

It was James Warburton.

He threw up his hands. "What are you _doing_ in here?"

"Um, cleaning, sir?" _Oh, shit. Oh, shit._

"Didn't you see the 'Do Not Disturb' sign?" He gesticulated toward the door.

"…There wasn't one, sir." That much was true.

He groaned and held his temple. "Well, you can clean when I leave. I'm going!" He grabbed his suitcase.

_He can't leave before the police get here._ I had to think fast. "Um, sir, wait!"

He stopped where he was, looking annoyed. "Yeah?"

There had to be something I could do to stall him. _What could I say that would make him stay?_

"Would you like to battle?"

The words slipped out before I even realized it.

_Oh __**shit**__._

He seemed confused. "What?"

_Too late. Just go with it._ "A battle! You seem like a good Trainer. I'd love to battle with you." I stifled a nervous giggle.

He looked at his watch, then back at me. He lowered his arm. "All right, fine. But it has to be a quick one!" He went into the hallway outside.

_Well. I'm up Muk Creek now._ I was surprised my heart hadn't jumped out my mouth. I took several shaky breaths and went outside.

He was tapping his foot impatiently. A Poké Ball was in his hand. He tossed it. "Go, Deadman!"

A Gengar appeared. It made an evil chuckle.

My hands were shaking. _Just a battle. It'll be fine._ I squeezed Growl's ball and then threw it. "Let's go, Growl!"

Growl materialized with a bark.

"Deadman, use Hypnosis!"

"Growl, dodge it!"

Growl looked away from the Hypnosis.

My vision was getting a bit blurry. Was I hyperventilating?

"Try again, Deadman!" Warburton didn't seem the least bit concerned about me. Then again, he probably didn't notice.

I tried taking deep breaths. "Just keep dodging, Growl!"

Growl ran around like he was in frenzy.

Warburton shot me an annoyed look. "Use Confuse Ray!"

I ignored his look. "Keep it up, Growl!" I thought I could smell smoke, even though I knew there wasn't any. _Keep calm_.

The Gengar kept trying to confuse or hypnotize Growl, but Growl wasn't having it. He was running circles around the Gengar.

_Growl knows Bite. Using it on Gengar would end the battle immediately._ But I didn't want to end the battle immediately. "Keep running!"

Warburton clenched his fists. "What _is_ this? I said the battle needed to be quick! This is taking too long!"

I smiled sheepishly. "Growl, use Fire Fang!"

"Deadman! Hypnosis!"

Growl ran at the Gengar, but he caught the Hypnosis. He fell over, asleep.

Warburton seemed satisfied. "Good work, Deadman! Now, Shadow Punch!"

The Gengar punched Growl once.

"Again!"

Twice.

"One more time!"

I saw people coming down the hall. "Growl, use Bite!"

Growl woke up. He bit the Gengar's arm as it came down.

The Gengar flinched in shock, then toppled to the ground. It didn't get up.

I was speechless. _Did… did I win?_

Warburton only seemed agitated. He returned the Gengar to its ball. "Great. We had our battle. Now-"

"Are you Mr. Warburton?"

He spun around, only to come face to face with three police officers. "I- what-"

"We've received a report of two stolen items being spotted. We'd like to inspect your room."

I retrieved Growl, and started to back away.

Warburton turned back to me, his face livid. "Y-you set me up, you little piece of-"

Two of the officers restrained him. The three police officers went into the room.

My legs were jelly. I collapsed onto the hallway tiles.

"Are you okay?" It was Thomas. He held out a hand.

I took it and got to my feet, legs still wobbling. "I'm fine," I muttered. Why I was hurting when I wasn't the one fighting, I had no idea how to explain.

"They'll be asking us some questions soon," Thomas said. "After that, I'll give you your cut, and they'll probably let you go home."

I gave him a baffled look. "My cut?"

"Well, sure. I might have tracked him here, but you did a lot of the actual work. I probably couldn't have caught him in time without you." He was still holding my hand. He looked concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I was still wobbling. I waved him off. "I'm fine. And I don't want any money, that isn't why I did it."

He gave me a solemn look for a few seconds. "Then why did you do it?"

I had no idea how to answer that.

The police emerged from the room, with Warburton in cuffs. As soon as he spotted me, he began to shout profanities at the top of his lungs. I noticed, belatedly, that people were emerging from their rooms at the sound of the commotion. _Great. I'm a public spectacle again._ I felt sick.

One of the officers came up to Thomas and me. "Are you all right, miss? Do you need a glass of water? I'd like to ask you both a few questions, if I may."

I nodded.

What followed were some questions of how I had found out about the Mega Stones. Thomas answered most of them, clarifying his position in the matter. I was glad, because I wasn't exactly sure what to tell the police. I wasn't sure they'd be too happy about me snooping around a guest's hotel room without a good reason.

Eventually, I was sitting down in the lobby with Thomas, the police having left just a short while ago. I still held the now-empty glass in my hand. I was finally feeling less jittery, and I started to realize what I had done.

_I got in a battle._

The first battle in nine months. And I had won.

_That was kind of a fluke, though. If Growl hadn't woken up when he did, I would have lost._ I turned over the glass in my hands. _Also, I uncovered a thief who stole about two million's worth of Mega Stones, but let's focus on the important things, right?_ I looked over at Thomas.

He was fiddling with some sort of device. I couldn't seem to recognize it.

Thomas caught me looking at him. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little," I replied.

"That's good. Are you sure that you don't want _anything_ for helping me? You did a lot."

I sighed. "I'm sure." Then something occurred to me. "Hey, how did you know it was that man who was the thief?"

The question took him off-guard. He took a moment to respond. "I was hired by the owner of the Stone Emporium. He didn't think the police would be fast enough. But when I asked if anything suspicious had happened before the theft, he mentioned a man named 'James Warburton' who had asked about two rare Mega Stones. I suspected it was him."

I was shocked. "That… that's it? That's the only thing you went on?" _I challenged someone to battle for his hunch! I mean, he had been right, but…_

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "That, and I caught a glimpse of him accidentally dropping the stone in the street. I wasn't able to catch him in the crowd, though, and I wasn't sure he was James Warburton. But I saw him leave here."

_Oh. That makes more sense._ I relaxed. "So, what now?"

"Now? Hopefully, that storeowner will receive news of my involvement and be willing to pay me the fee we agreed on. Should be fairly soon now."

"Okay."

Thomas went back to fiddling with his device.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye. _Today was… terrifying. And dangerous. And I nearly threw up on the floor. I shouldn't live my life like that._ I told myself this. Still, there was something inside me, something burning. I remembered the past few days, and my loneliness and boredom. _I can't live my life like that, either._ The words came out. "Do you… often need help like that?"

Thomas stared at me for a long time.

I felt awkward.

He sighed. "You really helped me today. And the other day. But…" He looked away. His voice was low. "I often get involved in really dangerous situations. I don't want other people to get hurt."

_Yeah, I know. I was there._ I felt a bit irritated. "Isn't that the reason you shouldn't be by yourself? So you don't have to handle the danger alone?"

Thomas gave me a sharp look. "No. Trust me, I can handle it myself." He stood up. "Thank you for all your help. If there's a way I can repay you, let me know. But you can't get involved with me." He left.

I watched him go, a curious mix of annoyance and sadness gnawing at me. In a way, it made sense. _But what exactly makes him less likely to get hurt than me? _I considered going after him.

"Ms. Fortmirth?"

I turned toward the voice. "Yes?"

It was the receptionist. "Miss Alexa here would like to speak with you." She gestured to a group of people standing beside her desk.

One of the members of the group, a woman with light brown hair, came up to me and smiled. "Hi! You're Ebony Fortmirth, right? I was hoping to get a short interview with you!"

My stomach plummeted.

* * *

"Well, it sounds like you had an eventful day." My mother's voice was bemused.

"You could say that," I replied. I was sitting on my bed and holding the C-Gear. Growl's head was in my lap.

"When we sent you over there, I didn't think you'd get _that_ much excitement." My dad was on the C-Gear as well. "Think you'll be stopping any major crime networks on the job?"

"I wasn't planning on it," I said in a dry voice.

There was a pause.

My dad spoke tentatively. "So, you got in a battle. For the first time in nine months."

My smile dropped off my face.

My mother was the next one to talk. "That's a big step, wouldn't you say?"

"I almost threw up. They had to fetch me a glass of water." Bitterness was creeping into my voice.

"Still, that's a big step. Do you think-"

"I'm not going back." I didn't know if they were actually going in that direction, but I didn't care.

Growl raised his head and looked at me.

"Well, of course you wouldn't. Not right away at least. But think-"

"I can't-"

"_Please_, think. You were happy there. You shouldn't stop from doing what you love because of this."

I had heard enough. "I need to go to sleep."

My mom waited a moment before speaking. "All right, dear. We love you. We won't be able to talk to you over the next few days. So have a good rest of your week."

"Love you, sweetie." My dad spoke up.

"Love you too. Good night." I hung up.

The silence was oddly comforting.

I sighed and curled up into a ball. I wasn't ready to go back. I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready. _Am I just going to be stuck listening to people berate me about how I should be better now? Is that what the rest of my life will be like?_ My breath became shallower. _People seem to think I'm a disappointment. How long am I-_

I felt something hitting my leg. I looked up.

Growl was pawing at me. Though the way he was doing it seemed more like a Karate Chop.

I smiled and rubbed his head. "I don't think you can learn Karate Chop, Growl."

He rolled over.

I gave him belly rubs. "You're such a silly." He had distracted me from my thoughts. That was actually pretty nice. _It's okay._ A shadow of a doubt rose in my mind. _No_. I shook my head. What could I think about that would help me break out of this?

Thomas.

I stopped.

Growl tilted his head, no doubt wondering why I had stopped rubbing his belly.

He had shown up today. And left, just like last time. I couldn't help but feel a little stung by his rejection. The more logical part of me knew that his rejection didn't really have to do with me, but… still. I remembered his question. _Why __**do**__ I want to help him so much? Do I like him?_ _Is this a crush?_ The thought embarrassed me a little. I'd had crushes before, but none of them went right, and none of them made me want to pursue them down a dark and dangerous alley. _No. This feels a bit… different._

Was it my sense of adventure coming back? Now that was a thought. I hadn't felt it since my days of traveling.

_Well, whatever it is, it's not going to do me much good now. There's only so many times that you can run into someone on accident in such a big city. And with what he said earlier, I think he'd avoid any attempt to speak with me. So I probably won't see him again._

The thought made me sad.

Growl made a mumbling noise and pawed at me again.

"Yeah, okay, okay." I moved to push his paw away, and knocked my C-Gear off the bed onto the floor. I dove down to pick it up.

_Wait a second_.

There was something niggling at the back of my mind.

I realized what it was, and opened my C-Gear.

In the contacts list. I still had Thomas's number.

Seeing that I had it filled me with an odd satisfaction. I smiled.

The connection was still there, whether I chose to use it or not.


End file.
